Sonia all set to be re-elected as Congress President

New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi is all set to be
re-elected as the Congress President on September 17.

The schedule for the party chief`s election was finalised
at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here today.

As per the schedule, the date for notification of the
polls is August 27, last date for filing nominations is
September 2, scrutiny will be held on September 3, last date
of withdrawal is September 10, and date of polls, if
necessary, is September 17.

Counting of votes will be held on September 21.

This is also the schedule for the election of the PCC
presidents in various states, AICC general secretary Janardan
Dwivedi told reporters after the CWC meeting.

PCC delegates, who constitute a total of 7946, are the
electoral collage for the Congress President`s election, which
is held in Delhi as also in state headquarters.

63-year-old Gandhi has created a record of being the
longest-serving party Congress President and completed over a
decade since she took over the top post in April 1998.

She took over in the wake of the party`s dismal showing
in the 1998 Lok Sabha polls that saw the exit of Sitaram Kesri
from the post.

She has so far been unanimously elected to the post
barring once when Jitendra Prasada, a senior leader from
Uttar Pradesh, had thrown his hat in the ring but failed
miserably in the polls in 2000.

The election for the party chief`s post is expected to
witness Gandhi`s fourth term for the top office of the party,
which is completing 125 years of its inception.

This was because no other contender is expected to be in
the field. Gandhi`s re-election is expected to become known on
September 2 itself, which is the last date for filing
nominations.

Out of the 28 CWC members and incharges of states and
departments, 26 were present in the meeting.